Page 63 of The Icy Highlander's Bride
"She is quite a ball of energy." Mary smiled as she and Lana watched Skye work.
"I'll say." Lana laughed. "I daenae ken how maithers do it. How did ye deal with that constant need for attention?"
"It doesnae last forever," Mary sighed wistfully. "Another few years and she willnae want to spend time with ye. Then ye will be desperate to have her near ye."
Lana kept her voice low so Skye wouldn't hear her. It felt good to confide in Mary, and she needed to voice the worries that kept floating in her head.
"She's been through so much," she murmured. "I only hope I can do right by her. I hope I can bring her happiness."
Mary rested a hand on hers. "Ye already have, child," she told her. "Ye have brought more joy to that little girl in a week than she's had in her whole life. I promise ye that."
The words warmed Lana's heart, and she smiled at Mary. It felt good to know someone noticed her efforts with Skye, even if others didn't.
"Now, if only Daniel could recognize that," Lana mumbled. "He still doesnae trust me with her."
Mary scoffed as she cleared the breakfast plates in front of her. "Then he is even more blind than I thought."
Lana laughed, wondering if the cook was making a joke about the dark patch that covered Daniel's left eye. She sipped the warm concoction Mary had placed in front of her this morning and started feeling energized.
Lana wouldn't let her circumstances put her down, even when she was struggling with a lack of sleep and uncertainty about her future. She remembered Daniel's words this morning about visiting the cows. Were they a peace offering of sorts? The first step in relaxing his rules?
"Perhaps we should visit the cows," Lana piped up loudly. "They may like to say good morning."
"Oh, yes!" Skye squealed. She rushed forward to shove the spoon into Mary's hands.
The women laughed as they recognized her priorities. The child grabbed Lana's hand and pulled her out the door.
26
"Skye!"
Once outside, Skye had taken off, running ahead as she dropped Lana's hand.
"I like the brown one," she said, turning to Lana as she stood on the bottom rung of the stall door. She leaned over the top, trying to get as close to the animals as she could.
"Ye cannae run away like that!" Lana chided, finally catching up to her. "It could be dangerous."
She heard panic in her voice and saw Skye's surprised look at her harsh words. Lana had never raised her voice to the child before, and she felt a stab of guilt when the girl's face fell.
She took a deep breath and stepped closer to her. "It's alright," she said softly. "Now show me which one ye like."
She put a hand between Skye's shoulder blades, rubbing gently.
Skye smiled and turned back to the animals. The mother cow was suspiciously eyeing them, wondering if a little girl was about to tumble into the hay beside her babies.
"The fluffy one," Skye clarified.
One of the babies had long hair that blocked his eyes, his ears sticking out at right angles.
"I like that one too," Lana agreed, her heart still pounding in her chest.
As Skye began to babble away about the baby cows and their personalities, Lana's thoughts drifted to Daniel. What would he have said if Skye ran off again? Lana could imagine his scowling, panicked face looking down at her with disappointment.
"They're so cute!" Skye cried, drawing Lana's attention back to the cows.
A deep, slurry voice spoke from the shadows, "Ye're right, lass. Very cute, indeed."
"He is home," Seamus said. He nodded at the guard who had just appeared in the doorway, thanking him for his message.He walked back to the table and took his place with the other council members.
